Community unites to Run for the Boys

Claire O'Hanlon and Kerry McStravog with their sons, Luke and Brian Og. INTT1413-057X

THE Coalisland community has thrown its support behind the families of two little boys who suffer from the devastating muscle wasting condition, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), with 34 people signed up to run this year’s Belfast Marathon in their honour!

Luke O’Hanlon and Brian Og McStravog are the inspiration behind this momentous challenge as dozens of supporters from the locality lend a helping hand in the ﬁght to ﬁnd a cure for the condition.

Luke’s mum, Claire, and Brian Og’s mum, Kerry, are cousins, and both carry the faulty gene responsible for DMD.

They are both determined to save their beautiful boys by helping to bring an end to the disease that has already robbed their family of four boys - Mickey, Paddy and PJ Hampsey, as well as Mark Darragh.

Duchenne, the most common and severe of the 60 or so different types of Muscular Dystrophy, will noticeably begin to affect the boys in their pre school years.

Initially the boys will be slower than their peers, will ﬁnd it difficult or impossible to climb stairs, will have difficulty getting up from the ground, and will walk with a waddling type gait.

As the boys grow older the condition will progressively worsen with both boys likely to be wheelchair bound before they leave primary school.